Three things to love about the Ohio State football team's opening win vs. Akron

The Ohio State football team had a big win in the first game of the season against Akron. Winning a game 52-6 is never a bad thing, even if that means the Buckeyes didn't cover the spread. They were one of the few top Big Ten teams to actually look impressive with a win over the weekend.

Oregon struggled against a bad Idaho team. Michigan was in trouble with Fresno State until the last five minutes of the game. Even Penn State struggled in the first half. Ohio State looks like the strongest team in the Big Ten despite some struggles early on in the game.

The second half really showcased what the Buckeyes can do when they are in full control. Ohio State is a very good team and there is a reason they are the second-ranked team in the country. They showed some of their potential when they really got rolling.

There are three specific things to love about how the Ohio State Buckeyes played on Saturday. One of them has to deal with the new quarterback in town.

1. Will Howard's strong performance in the second half

Early in the game against the Zips, Will Howard looked a bit off. He wasn't able to lead the Buckeyes to points on the first two drives. He also had a bizarre throw behind the line of scrimmage while he was getting sacked that was counted as a fumble. It's a good thing TreVeyon Henderson was able to cover it up.

Howard was able to shake off that slow start and really get going. he finished with 228 passing yards and three touchdowns. He completed 75% of his passes. The best thing about his performance is that he didn't turn the ball over, despite that one questionable decision mentioned above.

With how good the Buckeyes are on the offensive side of the ball, they don't need Howard to be fantastic. They just need him to be pretty good. Taking care of the ball is his biggest priority. The playmakers around him will do enough to score touchdowns and get first downs.

Howard should only get better as time goes on. The offense will start to feel more comfortable to him and he'll learn the tendencies of his receivers more. He also only completed passes to three receivers. I expect more guys to get involved in the passing game even as soon as next week.

The next thing to love is one of the guys who was catching passes from Howard.